PLEASURE DOME
The art-filled Bellagio redefines opulence

S P O R T
SPEED DEMONS
The racing season comes down to a nail-biting finish in Japan, with top drivers Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen running neck-and-neck

PIT BULLS
The crews who make the wheels work

T H E   A R T S
BOOKS
The Everest Hotel presents an ethereal India
Also: Bombay Ice

INTERVIEW
Thailand's unusually assertive Foreign Minister makes the case that engagement isn't meddling

NUMBERS GAME
Opposition to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad continues to grow, threatening his party's electoral prospects

BURNED BY THE SUN
Fear of unrest forces Beijing to scale back high-flying Premier Zhu Rongji's ambitious plans for reform

ANGRY SCRIBE
A writer rails against corruption

E N D   P A G E S
SPOTLIGHT

MILESTONES

TRAVEL WATCH
Pointing the way, in print and in cyberspace